Small-body mission · NASA / JPL

Deep Space 1

A NASA New Millennium technology-demonstration mission that validated ion propulsion and autonomous navigation, then used them to fly past asteroid 9969 Braille and, most notably, comet 19P/Borrelly — returning some of the best comet-nucleus images of its time.

CompletedFlyby Mission

This is the small-body-missions view of Deep Space 1. See its main mission page for the full profile.

Targets & sample

Target bodies:Borrelly

Also:Asteroid 9969 Braille (1999) and comet 19P/Borrelly (2001)

Mission & science

Goals: Flight-test ion propulsion, autonomous navigation, and other new technologies.
Engineering milestones: First deep-space use of an ion engine; high-resolution imaging of Borrelly's nucleus (2001).
Science discoveries: Borrelly's nucleus is dark and rugged with a complex, offset coma.
Outcome: Complete success; ion propulsion later enabled Dawn.

Knowledge connections

VisitedBorrelly
Member of groupFlyby Mission
Launched byDelta II
Operated byNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
VisitedBorrelly
Associated withAutonomous Navigation

Sources

Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.

NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.
NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics
Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.

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